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22 November 2024 | Story Lunga Luthuli | Photo Supplied
International Audit Week 2024
UFS students at Coventry University’s International Audit Week, marking a historic first for South African and Global South universities participating in this prestigious global accountancy gathering.

In a significant first for any university in South Africa and the Global South, five students from the University of the Free State (UFS) participated in Coventry University’s prestigious International Audit Week (IAW). This global gathering of top accountancy students from various countries took place from 28 to 30 October 2024 in England.

The UFS School of Accountancy earned the invitation through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) project initiated earlier this year. Prof Frans Prinsloo, Vice-Dean for Learning, Teaching, Innovation, and Digitalisation in the Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences, said, “Our participation signifies a major step in our internationalisation strategy. We were the first university from the Global South to attend, showcasing our students’ exceptional skills and fostering global collaboration.”

Trailblazing students

The selected students – Charlene Black, Twisiso Mathonsi, Heike de Nysschen, Charlize Oosthuizen, and Boitumelo Radebe – are among the top performers in the Postgraduate Programmes in Chartered Accountancy (PGCA). These future chartered accountants were chosen based on their stellar mid-year results, as final marks were unavailable before the trip.

Black expressed her excitement, stating, “Being selected to represent UFS at such a prestigious event was a tremendous privilege. It reinforced my decision to pursue the CA(SA) qualification and inspired me to make impactful contributions to the profession.”

Mathonsi, equally thrilled, reflected on the significance of the experience, saying, “Attending IAW was a dream come true. It validated my hard work and gave me a unique opportunity to engage with global perspectives on auditing.”

International insights and learnings

The week’s highlights included interactive sessions and industry tours. Black found the visit to Morgan Motors particularly inspiring, noting, “Witnessing their manufacturing process and reliance on paper-based job cards was fascinating. It was a reminder of the diverse practices within industries globally.”

Mathonsi recalled the collaborative activities, particularly a group project at Shakespeare’s birthplace. “It was both fun and insightful, emphasising teamwork across cultural and linguistic differences,” he said.

The students were exposed to cutting-edge developments in auditing, including the integration of artificial intelligence. These insights deepened their understanding of global industry trends and standards, such as the IFRS Foundation Standards and International Standards of Auditing, and highlighted differences in professional qualifications and practices between South Africa and the UK.

Sponsorship and support

This historic participation was made possible by the generosity of sponsors, who contributed over R250,000. The Raubex Group led with R150,000, followed by Rain Chartered Accountants (R50,000), Core Bloemfontein (R20,000 and K-Way jackets), the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (R20,000), and Interstate Bus Lines (R10,000).

Prof Prinsloo emphasised the importance of such collaborations: “Our visionary sponsors recognised the immense benefits of this initiative for our students. Their support underscores the value they place on nurturing future leaders.”

Global impact and future plans

The experience not only elevated the students’ aspirations but also boosted the UFS’s international reputation. “Our students’ technical competence often surpassed that of their peers, cementing UFS as a global player in accountancy education,” Prof Prinsloo noted.

Looking ahead, the School of Accountancy plans to expand its international partnerships and aims to host the International Audit Week in Bloemfontein by 2026. For Mathonsi, the advice to future students is clear: “Work hard even when no one is watching; dedication always pays off.”

The UFS delegation’s success at IAW exemplifies the university’s commitment to excellence, global engagement, and producing graduates poised to make a difference on international and local platforms.

News Archive

Art and science help us understand the world and our place in it
2017-10-28



Description: Art and science  Tags: Art and science

At the event were, from the left: Tristan Nel, first-year Fine Arts student;
Dr Janine Allen-Spies from the Department of Fine Arts;
Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn from the Department of Microbiology,
Biochemical and Food Biotechnology; and Pheny Mokawane, a
Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology student.
Photo: Charl Devenish

Although BioArt dates back as far as the 15th and 16th centuries with the work of Leonardo da Vinci, it is not every day that art and science combine. This rare phenomenon made its appearance when two totally different groups of students – studying arts and microbiology respectively – joined hands in an initiative to create BioArt.

This first-time undergraduate teaching collaboration between the Departments of Fine Arts and Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology at the University of the Free State (UFS), which is characterised by the use of living materials, such as enzymes, microbes and DNA, as well as scientific tools and methods, is exploring a number of questions. 

Different outcomes for arts and microbiology students

According to Prof Carlien Pohl-Albertyn from the Department of Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, one of the central questions explored in BioArt is the nature of ‘life’. “At which stage can matter be classified as being alive or living?” she asked. 

“We realised that the outcomes for the two groups of students would not be the same. For the microbiology students, the focus would be on the understanding and effective communication of a microbiological concept. For the art students the focus would be on the execution of the assignment using visual elements and applied theory of art,” said Prof Pohl-Albertyn.

Dr Janine Allen-Spies from the Department of Fine Arts added: “Art students will also be exploring strangely or previously unforeseen gaps between art and science that can be filled with imaginative interpretations which may forward creative insights in both BioArt as a developing art form and microbiology as investigative science.”

Students’ understanding of microbial evolution reflected in art
The art students had to visit the microbiology labs for their assignment as this is mostly a foreign environment for these students. “The paint medium they had to use was gouache. This medium with its bright colours works well to depict microscopic organisms in art,” Dr Allen-Spies said. 

On display at the Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology on the Bloemfontein Campus, at a recent event to introduce this new initiative to a wider audience, was a range of visually and scientifically compelling paintings and artefacts (such as paintings, poems, songs, apps) which explore a theme within microbiology from a BioArt perspective that uses creativity to communicate concepts dealt with in the module Microbial Evolution and Diversity.

Any parties who are interested in buying the art can contact Dr Allen-Spies at allenj@ufs.ac.za.

Paintings and artefacts reflects students understanding of BioArt. At the recent opening of the BioArt exhibition at the UFS Department of Microbial, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology, was the work of Madeleen Jansen van Rensburg on display.

Pheny Mokawane, a Microbiology, Biochemical and Food Biotechnology student, wrote a poem for his BioArt project in the Microbial Evolution and Diversity assignment. 

 

 

 

 

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